


bruised my knees getting down to pray

by Lise



Series: Where the Devil Don't Go [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark, Extremely Dubious Consent, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, POV Thor (Marvel), Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Protective Thor (Marvel), Sexual Slavery, a slightly improved ending?, thanos what thanos, well angst with a mildly okay ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15604605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise
Summary: A couple months after Ragnarok, Thor spots Loki in a casino on a space station. He's not alone.A sequel tocast me down where the devil don't go.





	bruised my knees getting down to pray

**Author's Note:**

> At this point "I wasn't going to write a sequel but then I did" is practically going to have to go on my tombstone. But, yeah - wasn't going to write a sequel, but then I was talking to some folks - I think maybe [theotherodinson](http://theotherodinson.tumblr.com)? about possible aftermath and reunion things and...well. Here we are. I had too much fun. Apparently this is what I do now when I'm stalling on all my other projects. 
> 
> This fic will make a lot more sense if you read the first one, but I feel like you can probably put stuff together from context clues.
> 
> All thanks goes to my [beta](http://ameliarating.tumblr.com), and as usual you can find me on [Tumblr](http://veliseraptor.tumblr.com) nattering about all kinds of things.

It was a complete coincidence that Thor saw him at all. 

The Statesman - though the Asgardians had started calling it New Asgard - was in orbit around Boeralla Station - mostly known for its gambling tables, but it was the closest possible port in the area. Thor ended up joining Valkyrie on the Commodore down to the station itself and into one of the gambling halls, mostly to keep an eye on her (though she claimed she knew what she was doing and could make a nice pile of credits to boost their meager fund). 

Thor was just scanning the room, not really paying attention to the game (which he didn’t know). The first time, his eyes passed over him, only to snap back at the jarring feeling of missing a step. 

That was _definitely_ Loki. 

His hair looked longer, braided elaborately back, and the clothes he was wearing didn’t look like him, but Thor could still recognize his profile. He shook his head, incredulous, and then bent down.

“Loki’s here,” he whispered in Val’s ear. She jerked up.

“Hey,” one of the other players growled. “What’d he say?” 

“I see someone I recognize,” Thor said, keeping his eyes fixed on Loki’s back, willing him not to notice and vanish. “Val…”

“Go on,” she said. “I’ve got this.” 

Thor wove his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on Loki all the while. He looked like he was just standing and watching a game, a drink in one hand, but as he got closer it seemed like there was something...off. About the way he was standing, maybe. He didn’t seem to have noticed Thor approaching, and he changed angles to be sure he was out of Loki’s line of sight. 

He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t exactly _expected_ Loki to come back, but he’d hoped for it. Then he hadn’t, and it was only because of Korg that they’d managed to get away from Asgard at all. And now...here Loki was. 

Thor wasn’t entirely sure what he felt about that.

Only - only, someone else was approaching Loki. Two someones, together - one wearing a Kree uniform (though Thor doubted they were really a soldier - or were _still_ a soldier) - and the other...Thor slowed and came to a halt. 

He hadn’t expected to see _him_ again. Certainly not off of Sakaar. Privately, he’d hoped that the uprising would have done for him. Clearly that was optimistic, because the Grandmaster was here now. Apparently with Loki. 

Thor’s mouth twisted. He knew what he felt about _that._ Disappointed, mostly, though even as he thought it an odd unease crawled down his spine. 

A moment later he understood its source as the Grandmaster cupped Loki’s face in one hand and pulled him forward for a brief kiss on his lips, then patted his cheek and said something Thor couldn’t hear before - leaving. Leaving Loki with the Kree, who reached out to grab Loki’s wrist. 

Thor waited for Loki to lash out. He didn’t. Thor’s stomach twisted, and he might not know what was going on here but he had a bad feeling about it, and besides, he needed to talk to Loki. 

He started walking again, striding over. The Kree noticed him first, eyes widening, though he didn’t let go of Loki’s arm. Loki turned to look over his shoulder and the color immediately drained from his face

“Let go,” Thor said to the Kree, who didn’t. 

“Who are you?” He demanded. Loki’s eyes skittered from Thor to past Thor, looking for an escape route. 

“What are you doing here?” Thor demanded of Loki, who opened his mouth and then closed it. He looked dazed.

“You lost an eye,” he said faintly.

“Hela,” Thor said. “We beat her, since you asked. No thanks to you.”

“Hey,” the Kree said. “Get out. I won fair and square, I don’t know who you are but--” 

“Thor,” Loki said abruptly, and when Thor looked back at him his eyes were enormous and nakedly desperate. “Thor, _please_ tell me you have a ship, you have to get me out of here-”

Belatedly, Thor noticed something on Loki’s neck, not quite hidden by the collar of his shirt. He recognized it easily enough and blinked, rearing back, trying to put together what he’d seen and liking the shape of it less and less, but he had to be getting something wrong.

“If you don’t back off I’m going to call security,” the Kree said. 

“You won’t be alive when they get here,” Thor said absently. “Loki-”

“ _Now,_ ” Loki hissed urgently. “ _Please,_ I don’t know how long - whatever you want me to do, just _please_ take me with you-”

Thor gave up on questions. The desperation in Loki’s voice was too raw to be false. He grabbed Loki’s arm. “If you say anything I will _find_ you,” Thor growled to the Kree, and dragged Loki roughly away, thoughts swimming, emotions a confused snarl. 

At what he judged to be a safe distance, and in a more secluded corner, Thor stopped and let go of Loki. “Explain,” he said. 

Loki’s eyes skittered past Thor. “Not here,” he said. “I said-”

“I want an explanation first, before I bring you anywhere near the people you turned your back on,” Thor interrupted. Loki’s expression spasmed and then closed. 

“You didn’t see enough?” Loki said, his voice brittle. Thor shook his head. 

“Nothing I saw made any _sense._ ”

Loki’s eyes flicked past Thor again, scanning restlessly, anxiously. “You say I turned my back,” he said, after a long moment. “I didn’t get the chance. You left me there, helpless, and _he_ found me like that on his way off the planet. He wasn’t exactly _happy,_ considering I’d been last seen betraying him with you and your friends.” He was talking quickly, a nervous tightness plain around his eyes. 

_He._ The Grandmaster. Thor shifted slightly. “But he took you off planet with him.” Some of Thor’s anger eased. Whether Loki would have come after all was still an open question - but it wasn’t that he’d chosen not to. And if some part of Thor prickled uneasily at the idea that the Grandmaster might have easily killed Loki...he hadn’t. 

Though - he hadn’t really considered that possibility, at the time. 

“Yes,” Loki said after a moment, his voice tight. “He saw possible use for me.”

Thor thought of the Kree, the exchange he’d witnessed between him and the Grandmaster, the disc embedded in Loki’s neck. 

“After all,” Loki was saying, and his voice was thick with bitterness and something darker, “he was a little low on funds at the time. Is that explanation enough?” 

It wasn’t enough explanation. It was too much explanation. Thor could fill in the gaps and didn’t want to. 

“Can we leave now?” Loki hissed, and Thor could hear the slight edge of panic in his voice. “Before he comes back? I don’t care _what_ you do, lock me in a cell if you want to, just _get me out of here._ ” 

Wild-eyed. Desperate. Loki looked very far from his usual composure, and Thor tried to shake off his reluctantly comprehending horror. He believed that Loki was telling the truth, and that was a terrifying prospect.

“All right,” Thor said. “All right. I need to collect Val. Stay here, I’ll be back.” 

For a moment Loki looked like he was going to protest, but then he jerked his head in a nod and took a step back so he was nearly pressed into the wall. “Just be fast,” he said, and then added, “ _please._ ”

Thor looked him over once again, trying to ignore the nagging guilt, and crossed the room as quickly as he could without looking like he was hurrying. He couldn’t see the Grandmaster, but it was a crowded casino - there was no guarantee that he would. 

Val seemed to be doing well for herself, but she looked up when Thor put a hand on her shoulder. “We need to go.” 

“What? I’m on a streak-” She cut off, scanning his face, and said, “shit, what happened?” 

“I’ll explain, but not here,” Thor said. He smiled faintly at the others around the table. “I’m sorry to pull you out, but…”

“All right, all right. It’s your lucky night, friends,” Val said, gathering her winnings into a pile and dumping it into a bag. “I’m out. Have fun.” She stepped away from the table and held up the bag. “I need to convert these to something usable if you want this to be worthwhile. We have time for that?”

Thor thought, but...they needed the funds. “We do,” he said, though he suspected Loki wouldn’t be thrilled. “Just meet me back at the ship.”

Val frowned. “What’s got in your pants?” 

Thor hesitated, glanced over his shoulder, and said, “I told you Loki’s here,” he said. “So is the Grandmaster.” Her eyebrows shot up, and Thor said, “I’ll explain later. At the ship.”

“Right,” Val said after a long pause. “I’ll see you there.” 

Thor went back over to Loki, who was still where Thor had left him, head swiveling nervously from side to side. 

“The disc,” Thor said. “Where is the controller?” 

“With the Grandmaster,” Loki said, which was not good news. “But it’s - it’s fine. There’s a range. I think.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “Can we go now?” 

“Yes,” Thor said, his disquiet growing. “This way.” He’d spotted a back exit on the way in, just in case things got messy, and he used that now. Loki seemed unsteady on his feet, clumsier than he should be, and Thor wondered suddenly if he’d been drugged. Or else was just drunk. 

“What are you doing here?” Loki asked. “Asgard-”

“Was destroyed,” Thor said. Saying the words still gave him a pang. “In order to stop Hela, we unleashed Surtur.”

“Oh,” Loki said after a brief pause, his voice a little faint. “Then…”

“Korg arrived with a ship full of Sakaaran gladiators just in time,” Thor went on. “The survivors are all on board - though it is a small number. We are traveling to Midgard to seek asylum there.” 

Loki was quiet. “I’m sorry,” he said finally. Thor shook his head.

“For once, it isn’t really your fault.” 

He caught Loki’s wince out of the corner of his eye, and that pang of guilt again. Loki had tried to betray him again, and Thor had wanted him to feel the consequences, but he hadn’t wanted… “So he’s just been...dragging you after him across the universe?” 

Loki twitched. “More or less.” 

“You haven’t tried to get away before?” Thor asked. Loki made a choking noise. 

“And go where? How? I did try. Once. Early on.” Loki shuddered, though he didn’t seem aware of it. “The captain I tried to bribe sold me out to the Grandmaster for a pile of credits and-” 

He stopped, expression spasming. Thor didn’t think he wanted to know the end of that sentence. The flash of anger was more comfortable than the guilt. “It’s not that far to the ship,” he said. “As soon as Val gets back with her winnings, we’ll fly out back to the Statesman and leave this place behind.”

Loki exhaled in profound, audible relief. “Thor,” he said, “ _thank you._ I know I haven’t exactly - I probably don’t deserve-”

 _You don’t deserve what he’s doing to you, that’s for certain._ “Later,” Thor said, and then added, “it’s...fine. I’m...truthfully, I’m glad to see you again.” 

Loki’s laugh sounded a little hysterical. “Me, too. Obviously. I-”

He cut off abruptly, and Thor could see why. There, blocking the airlock that would take them to the docking bay, was the last person they needed to see.

“See,” the Grandmaster said, “I was _really_ hoping that Kallax was making up stories.”

Thor caught the controller in his hand the second before he triggered it. Loki crumpled without a sound. Thor jerked toward him, realized there was nothing he could do, and rounded on the Grandmaster.

“Well now,” said the Grandmaster, looking perfectly composed. He met Thor’s eyes, not so much as glancing at Loki twitching on the ground. “Isn’t this a lovely surprise! Well, maybe not _so_ lovely _,_ I’m not very happy with you right now, Sparkles. Especially - where were you going with my kitten?”

Thor took a step toward Loki like he could hide him from sight. “He’s not yours.”

“Well, no,” the Grandmaster said. “Not right now. In - in point of fact he belongs to Kallax at the moment, but...that’s just for now, probably not even the whole night. Or, _wouldn’t’ve_ been, except you had to go and interrupt me with this...uh. Whatever this is. Kidnapping attempt?” 

“I’m not _kidnapping_ him,” Thor said indignantly. “He wants to leave!” Loki sounded like he was choking. “Turn that thing off,” he added, hands balled into fists. 

“He, uh...wants to leave? That’s...that’s funny, I don’t remember agreeing to that. And Kallax _definitely_ didn’t. So…you’re making some bold claims, here.” 

But he pressed a button and Loki went limp, breathing hard for a moment before he shoved himself to his feet. “Hey there,” the Grandmaster said. “Sweetheart, honey bunch - what’s the meaning of all this? You’re not - running _away,_ are you?”

Loki’s eyes and shoulders had both dropped, slumped in defeat. “I am sorry, Grandmaster,” he murmured, voice barely audible. “I wasn’t thinking.” Thor’s head swiveled round and he stared at Loki, incredulous.

“Obviously,” the Grandmaster said, and clicked his tongue. “Well - well, we can have a _talk_ about this little, uh, _faux pas_ later. For now...I think it’s time we got going, don’t you? Come along.” He held out a hand, and Loki started to walk back toward him.

Thor jerked, and reached out without thinking to stop him. “No,” he said immediately. “Loki stays with me.” 

“Thor,” Loki said unhappily. “You don’t understand-”

“I’m terribly sorry,” the Grandmaster said. “You really can’t afford him, Sparkles. Not even for a, ah, _rental._ ” 

Loki flinched. Thor sucked in a breath. “Loki isn’t for _sale,_ ” he said. 

“You’re right,” the Grandmaster said, smiling. “He isn’t. Not right now, anyway.”

“Grandmaster, I,” Loki started to say, not looking at Thor. 

“Hush, sweetheart,” the Grandmaster said. “Seen and not heard.” 

Loki shut his mouth. Obediently. The fear and desperation were gone: all there was now was exhausted resignation. Loki had given up. 

Thor wasn’t going to. 

“I’m not going to leave without him,” he said, still holding onto Loki’s arm. The Grandmaster frowned. 

“Really, now,” he said. “This is - if you wanted him you should’ve taken him with you when you so _rudely_ took off with my champion. You didn’t, so...finders keepers, Sparkles. Those are the rules.” 

Thor clamped down on the guilt and held firm. “He isn’t a _thing_ to be _kept._ ” 

“Mm,” the Grandmaster said, and looked at Loki. “What do _you_ think, kitten? Are you - ah - a thing to be kept?” 

Loki’s eyes flicked to Thor and then back to the Grandmaster. He looked miserable, and said nothing. The Grandmaster raised his eyebrows. “Come on, honeybunch. Don’t be shy.”

“I am whatever you want me to be,” Loki said. The Grandmaster beamed. Thor’s stomach turned. 

“No, Loki,” he said. “That isn’t _true._ ” To the Grandmaster he said, “I won’t let you walk away with my brother.” 

“You won’t...Sparkles, do you _really_ think you can stop me?” 

“Thor,” Loki said quietly. “Don’t.” Thor ignored him. 

“Fine,” he said. “If you - what do you want?”

“I want a lot of things,” the Grandmaster said easily. “You’re going to have to be a little more - um - specific.” 

“To let Loki go,” Thor said. “What do you want to give up your hold on him?” 

“I - I thought I was pretty clear. I was pretty clear, wasn’t I?” He looked at Loki again. “About...what’d I say, sweet thing? You want to...do you want to tell your brother what I said?”

Loki twitched, barely. His lips twisted and after a moment he turned to stare at Thor with a strange mixture of hate and despair in his eyes. “I am not...for sale. At the moment.” 

“ _There_ you go,” the Grandmaster said. “Good boy, you _were_ listening. So, uh…” 

“There must be something you want,” Thor insisted, trying not to sound desperate. 

“Well, yes,” the Grandmaster said. “Sure. My planet, for one. I had one of those, remember? Until _you..._ see, the way I see it, it’s...you lost me your planet, I get your brother. Seems fair to me.” 

Val chose that moment to emerge from the other entrance, and stopped dead. “Ah, shit,” she said.

“Hello, 142,” the Grandmaster said, not turning. “It was really _hurtful,_ the way you ran off like that. Just so…” He clicked his tongue. “I don’t suppose my champion is around here anywhere, is he?” 

“Nope,” Val said before Thor could answer. “Sorry.”

The Grandmaster sighed. “Oh well. Now. This is really getting very tiresome, so if you could just, uh, let go of my kitten and move along…”

Val glanced from the Grandmaster to Loki and back again. “Oh,” she said. “So that’s what it’s like.” 

Loki’s shoulders drew up. “Thor,” he said, “you can’t-”

“Didn’t I say to hush?” The Grandmaster said, and Loki went down again, or would have except that Thor was still holding onto his arm and caught him before he dropped to the floor. 

“Stop it,” Thor said. “That isn’t necessary-”

“Well, it _shouldn’t_ be,” the Grandmaster said, sounding a bit peeved, “but look what you’ve done, you’ve got him all worked up.”

“Gast,” Val started to say. He held up a finger in her direction.

“Ah,” he said. “No, nope. You lost name rights, 142. I’m - I’m _very_ upset with you right now.”

Thor shifted Loki, his body shuddering and twitching, and said, “if you take him with you, I’ll follow. And I’ll keep following. You’ll never get rid of me.”

The Grandmaster cocked his head to the side. “I _could_ just kill you.” 

Loki made a small noise, somehow, through clenched teeth. The Grandmaster looked at him and clicked his tongue. “Sweetheart,” he said reproachfully, “if you don’t like that, you shouldn’t have tried to run off with him in the first place.” 

Thor opened his mouth, but Val beat him to it. 

“Grandmaster,” she said. “You know you’re going to get bored of him eventually. You always do.” 

The Grandmaster finally looked at her, blinking. “That’s not true,” he said. “I think - I think Lo-lo’s _very_ interesting.” 

“Sure, right now,” she said. “But in a century or two...or he’ll wear out. He’s already looking a little ragged around the edges.” Loki’s wide eyes rolled up toward Thor and he tightened his hold, staring at Val with narrowed eyes. The Grandmaster’s eyes went back to Loki, and he frowned. 

“That does happen,” he said, with a regretful sigh. “Mortals are so _fragile._ But I don’t...I’m not seeing your point, and I’m really...I’d _like_ to have my kitten back. So if we could just…?”

“My point,” Valkyrie said quickly, “is that - wouldn’t it be better to go while the going is good? Before the inevitable decline hits. That way you get to keep all the, uh. Good memories.” She paused, glanced at Thor, and added, “and Thor here will owe you a favor.”

The Grandmaster narrowed his eyes. “Are you - are you trying to _sucker_ me, 142?” 

“Nope,” she said. “I’m not that stupid.” 

“Hmmm.” The Grandmaster pursed his lips, and then clicked off the controller. Loki went limp with a faint noise, but didn’t move to pull away. “It’s an...an interesting idea. I do hate to see such an - _exceptional_ creature go to waste.” He paused. “Well, Lo-lo? What do you think?” 

Loki licked his lips, his eyes darting to Thor and then to the Grandmaster and then away from both. He looked vaguely panicked again. “I wouldn’t presume to...make a suggestion,” he said slowly. Thor felt a boil of anger he tried to suppress. At least for now, at least until Loki was free…

“Don’t be like that,” the Grandmaster said reproachfully. “I’m _asking._ ” 

The cornered animal look intensified, and Thor recognized the cruelty in the simple question: that Loki couldn’t say he wanted to leave without insulting the Grandmaster. It was a question with one right answer that wasn’t the one Loki wanted to give. 

“I wouldn’t want to...disappoint you later,” Loki said finally. “You don’t...you no longer...need me.” 

“It’s not just about _need,_ ” the Grandmaster said, gliding toward Thor. “I _want_ you, too, honey.” 

Loki shuddered and Thor jerked back, pulling Loki with him. The Grandmaster gave him an offended look. “ _Hey,_ now.”

“What do you say,” Thor said. 

The Grandmaster cocked his head to the side, and then smiled. “You’re handsome when you’re mad. Anyone ever told you…? Oh well.” He waved a hand. “All right, all right. You’ve convinced me, you can have him, I don’t want to, hmm...I don’t want things to get _ugly._ But I _am_ holding onto that favor.” 

Thor almost slumped, though he held himself stiff, not trusting that there wasn’t some trap. “Done,” he said.

“Well,” the Grandmaster said. “Not quite. See, I - _did_ have a deal lined up, and you ruined it, so…”

“How much,” Thor said, knowing how little money he had, _they_ had, but at least Val had just won some. The Grandmaster smiled. 

“Oh, I’m pretty good on money right now, actually,” he said. “I’m just going to keep him for another night. Say goodbye.” He smiled. “You know. This kind of...it won’t do. And...you know, gotta have those _good memories_ our friend 142 mentioned, right?”

 _No,_ Thor thought, on the tip of his tongue. _No, absolutely not, you said--_

“Yes,” Loki said, though his voice was a little ragged. “Of course. I couldn’t...possibly leave without a proper farewell.” 

“Loki,” Thor said, but the Grandmaster spoke over him.

“ _Perfect,_ ” he said. “Come along, then. And I’ll have him back to you...let’s say mid-morning, same place, tomorrow?”

His eyes gleamed with a sharp, dangerous, warning. Val stepped up to Thor and put a hand on his arm, her fingers digging in. 

“Sounds good,” she said. Thor forced himself to let Loki go, and he stepped hurriedly away, toward the Grandmaster, not looking back. 

Thor held from shouting after him, fists clenching at his sides, his chest and stomach burning. As soon as they were out of sight he let out a long, slow, breath. 

“Well, okay,” Val said, sounding a little breathless. “That went better than I expected.” 

“It did?” Thor said. “I just let him _walk off_ with that - _creature,_ who knows if he’ll keep his word, we have no surety-”

“He will,” Val said. “En Dwi is fickle and moody but he keeps his deals. Mostly.” She frowned a little. “I think he’ll keep this one.” 

“You _think,_ ” Thor snapped. 

“Hey,” she snapped back. “I didn’t see _you_ getting anywhere.” She paused. “I guess I don’t have to ask for that explanation now. Honestly, getting caught out involved in us trying to escape...your asshole brother’s lucky he didn’t get melted.” 

Thor twitched a little. He wondered briefly if Loki felt lucky. 

“And now I owe him,” he said.

“Like I said,” Val said tightly, “I didn’t see you getting much of anywhere, and I assumed you wanted him back, for some reason.” Thor gave her a sharp look, and she held up her hands. “Besides,” she added, “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” 

Thor looked in the direction Loki and the Grandmaster had gone, and it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t asked that the Grandmaster return Loki unharmed. 

* * *

The Grandmaster was there the next morning, as promised. With Loki, who seemed intact, if pale, and when he moved he moved stiffly. He wouldn’t quite look at Thor. 

“All right, sweetheart,” the Grandmaster said. “I guess this is where we say goodbye. It’s been fun.” He lifted Loki’s chin with two fingers and kissed him; Thor fought the urge to stride over and yank them apart. 

He pulled back and patted Loki’s chest. “You be good now.” He turned toward Thor and said, “Now, if you ever change your mind…”

Thor kept himself from growling. “I won’t.” 

The Grandmaster gave Loki a little shove. “Go on, then,” he said. “Oh, dear, I’m getting emotional. Better go, so long-”

Thor’s eyes caught on the metal on Loki’s neck. “The disc,” he said. “Take it off.” 

“Do you know,” the Grandmaster said airily. “I think I lost the controller. Funny, right? I guess it’ll just have to stay on.” 

He swanned out while Thor was still trying to find a response. He turned toward Loki, who looked like he was about to keel over. 

“There’s another way to get it off, right?” He said to Val. She shrugged, and Thor reached out to grab Loki’s shoulder. “We’ll figure out--”

“I don’t care,” Loki said, his voice dull, twitching out of reach of Thor’s hand. “Can we leave?” 

Thor let his hand drop, a little dismayed. He pressed it down. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s go back to the ship. 

Loki trailed after them as they boarded the Commodore, seeming to get paler as he looked around. He settled in a corner, shoulders hunched, fingers circling the disc embedded in his skin in what looked like a thoughtless tic. Thor eyed him worriedly and glanced at Val, who shrugged again.

“I’m just going to go fly this thing,” she said, and retreated to the cockpit. Thor walked gingerly over to Loki, sitting down next to him. Though not touching. 

“Hulk is going to be happy to see you,” he said, meaning it as a joke, but Loki went paler and gave Thor a startled, nervous, look. “I’m teasing,” he said quickly. “He won’t hurt you.”

Loki looked down at his hands, twisting in his lap. “Ah,” he said. Just the one syllable. Thor frowned. 

“What…” _Is wrong?_ That was obvious. Thor settled on, “what can I do?” 

Loki turned his head fractionally to look at him. “Do?” 

“Yes,” Thor said. “To...help.” 

“Help with what,” Loki said, his voice unconvincingly dull. “What is there to help with? It happened, it’s done, it’s over. That’s enough.”

Thor swallowed. “Is it?”

Loki closed his eyes. “It has to be.” He let out a stuttering laugh. “That’s the only way I survived. By thinking of nothing else except survival. No pride. No dignity. No choices. I did what he wanted. Whatever he wanted. And when he was pleased, I was pleased.”

Thor felt ill. He took a deep breath and let it out, wondering if he was being tested. “You were not...you could not…”

“Do you know what he told me,” Loki said, “when he was busy fucking me until I couldn’t stand? That it didn’t matter where I went, how far away I got, I was always going to be a _little_ bit his. And I think he’s right.” The corner of his mouth twitched, though his eyes stayed forward, fixed on the table. 

“Loki,” Thor said lowly, his stomach turning. “He does not own you. At least not anymore.” 

Loki’s eyes slanted in his direction and he raised a hand to tap the disc with one finger. “What do you think this is?”

Thor stared at Loki, who dropped his hand and looked away again. 

“Forget this,” he said. “Let us both try. Maybe then at least one of us will succeed.” Loki leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Thor stared at him, frozen, and wished he could find the right words to say. Maybe there weren’t any. 

The disc stood out on his pale skin. The Grandmaster’s thumbprint on his neck.


End file.
